9th std THE LOST CHILD

THE LOST CHILD

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS

Answer the following in 30- 40 words.

(a) What did the child want from the fair? Why does he move on without waiting for an
answer from his parents?

The child like any other child wanted to have everything from the fair: toys,
balloons, sweets, and a garland of gulmohar. He wanted to watch the snake
charmer play the flute to a snake and ride in the roundabout.
The boy moved on without waiting for an answer because he knew that his
request would be denied at each step. He knew that his father won’t buy
anything.

(b) How was the child lost in the fair?

The child was fascinated with many things which he saw in the fair and wished
to possess everything but deep down in his heart he was aware of his parents’
refusal. When he saw people whirl pooling and shrieking in a roundabout, he
made a bold request to his parents. However, he received no reply and when he
turned to see his parents, he found them nowhere in the sight. In this way the
child got lost in the fair.

(c) Why did the lost child go towards the temple? What happened there?

The lost child was trying to find his parents at the fair. He ran to the shrine
because he saw people crowding near the entrance. There was so much
commotion that he might have been trampled if he had not shouted for his
parents at the highest pitch of his voice. A kind man from the crowd heard his
cries, lifted him up and tried to pacify him but the child only cried asking for his
mother and father.

(d) Who rescued the lost child? What did he offer to buy him?

At the shrine, a man in the crowd heard the child crying and lifted him up. To
soothe the weeping child, the kind man took him to every stall where the boy
previously had been and offered to buy him all that he had earlier desired but
this time he refused everything and asked only for his parents.

(e) Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?

For any child the security of being with his parents is most important. While the
child was with his parents he was happy and wanted everything on the display
at the fair. However the child loses interest in the things that he wanted earlier because he was panic stricken on being separated from his parents. All he
wanted now was to be united with his parents. All the things that attracted him
in the fair earlier, no longer appealed to him once the harsh realization of being
lost hit him. The only thing that mattered to him was to find his parents.

(f) What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?

Right from the beginning of their journey, the parents continuously kept
checking whether the child was with them or not. In the end, when they may
have suddenly realized that the child was missing, they may have started a
frantic search for the lost child. The kind and understanding man who tried to
console the lost child by offering him various things at the fair may have asked
the child for some physical description of his parents and helped him to be reunited with his parents.

 Answer the following in 100- 120 words.

(a) When does he realize that he has been separated from his parents? How have his
anxiety and insecurity been described?

The child realizes that he has lost his way when on reaching the roundabout; he
stopped to observe the men, women and children enjoying themselves on it.
Watching them keenly he calls for his parents and turns to ask for permission to
go on the roundabout but there was no reply from them. He turned to look for
them but they were not there. He looked all around but there was no sign of
them. A full, deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his
body he ran from where he stood, crying out for his parents. Tears rolled down
from his eyes, his flushed face was convulsed with fear. Panic-stricken, he ran
from one side to the other, in all directions, knowing not where to go. His yellow
turban came untied and his clothes became muddy.

(b) How do you know that the child was a nature – lover?

The child was attracted to the nature’s little aspects because of his innocence.
When his mother diverted his attention to the mustard field he saw the flowers
which were in the nascent stage. The flowers of the field were pale like melting
gold. He then saw a group of dragon flies which were bustling about on their
gaudy purple wings. The child wanted to catch those dragon but they went
away fluttering and flapping. He was also attracted to the little insects and
worms along the footpath that were teeming out from their hiding places to
enjoy the sunshine. A shower of young flowers fell upon the child as he entered

the fair. He forgot about his parents and started gathering the raining petals in his hand and then the cooing of doves fascinated him.

(c) Compare the attitude of the child before and after separation from his parents.

Before separation the child was very happy and excited. He was captivated by
all the things that were displayed at the stalls. He wished to possess everything
but deep down in his heart he was aware of his parents’ refusal. When he saw
people whirl pooling and shrieking in a roundabout, he urged his parents to
allow him to sit on it. However when he turned, he found his parents nowhere in
the sight. All of sudden the boy was panic stricken. Forgetting all the wonders
of the fair he begins sobbing and screaming for his parents. The fear was so
predominant that he didn’t want any of the things from the fair that had earlier
appealed to him when the unknown good man offered them to him in order to
pacify him.

(d) Bring out the symbolism of the story.

It is possible to interpret the story at least at two levels.
At the surface level, it appears that the child in the story--like any child-longs for
attractive things such as toys, sweets, balloons, and flowers; but once he loses
his parents, he loses interest in the things he asked for earlier and insists on
finding his father and mother.
At a deeper level (or metaphysical level), the story is symbolic. The child
represents human beings in general; the fair symbolizes the world. The
attractions in the fair appeal to the senses, toys appeal to the eyes (and mind, in
general), burfi appeals to the palate, flowers have visual and olfactory appeal,
balloons have visual appeal, and music has aural appeal. In other words, these
attractions represent several pleasures or these are the temptations that human
beings come across in the fair of the world.

(e) Give critical appreciation of the chapter ‘The Lost child’.

The chapter ‘The Lost child’ has a rural Indian setting, characters, and actions.
It serves as a metaphor for human life. It tells the story of a physical and
psychological quest of a child, of our growth in creativity, compassion, and
confidence. In the lesson ‘The Lost Child’, it raises investigations about
parenting, the function of imagination, the preambles of growing up, and the
relationship of wishes and reality. In this story the child and his parents are that human
beings come across in the fair of the world.

(e) Give critical appreciation of the chapter ‘The Lost child’.

The chapter ‘The Lost child’ has a rural Indian setting, characters, and actions.
It serves as a metaphor for human life. It tells the story of a physical and
psychological quest of a child, of our growth in creativity, compassion, and
confidence. In the lesson ‘The Lost Child’, it raises investigations about
parenting, the function of imagination, the preambles of growing up, and the
relationship of wishes and reality. In this story the child and his parents are nameless; in fact, the writer has named no one. Despite this, the story never
goes dull at any moment, that’s the true beauty of storytelling.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

*NOTE-RECTIFY Q1 .HOW DID THE FATHER DISTRACT THE CHILD'S MIND FROM THE TOY SELLER?